Grants talk:IdeaLab/WM NYC, NE inter-chapter event and travel compensation

Travel times and costs

Those outside this region may need this background information to understand this grant.

New York City and Boston are major cities and near each other. Google Maps says that they are about 4 hours apart by car, and 215 miles or 346 kilometers apart. There are several bus transit services between the cities including en:BoltBus and en:Megabus (North America), and all of them charge between 20-35 dollars one way per passenger to travel between the cities. Both cities have hostel housing (which means 4-12 people sharing a single bedroom in dormitory beds). Hostels typically charge USD 45-85 per night, depending on weeknights versus weekends and bed availability.

There is no less expensive way offered in the marketplace to travel between Boston and NYC and stay overnight in either city. If Wikipedians in Boston and New York City need to travel to each others' events, then leaving by bus one day, staying a night, then returning the next day is the most expected way that a person could do this at the lowest cost while not overly exerting themselves. The consensus in these communities at this time is that traveling for 4 hours, attending a meeting, then traveling home is too much for most people to comfortably manage. Paying bus fares is troublesome for volunteers also.

I am saying these things to explain what it means to travel from either of these cities to the other to attend a Wikipedia meeting. Blue Rasberry (talk) 15:40, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

Washington DC future option

Washington DC travel is not part of this proposal but is considered for the future. The distance between DC and NYC is 225 miles or 360 kilometers, which is almost the same as the distance between NYC and Boston. Costs, bus service, and hostel availability in DC is the same as for NYC and Boston. If this travel program works between NYC and Boston then perhaps it could work for NYC and DC. Blue Rasberry (talk) 12:51, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

Train option

Mitchazenia mentioned the train, which is Amtrak. On low-travel times and with a month advance booking, Amtrak train trip tickets can cost $50 compared to the bus which at most is $35. The train is more comfortable. Train could be an option in ideal circumstances but the problems with the train as compared to the bus is that the bus can be booked even on the same day, whereas train tickets booked less than a month in advance cost $80-130. Blue Rasberry (talk) 12:56, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

Who does this

Boston Wikipedians and New York City Wikipedians regularly travel at their own expense to meetings in the other city. This is something which already happens. The entire experience typically consumes 24 hours and costs USD 85-160 per person roundtrip for travel and hostel, with the usual expense probably being $140. Blue Rasberry (talk) 15:40, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

Decision-making and cutoff

This proposal could certainly be funded. I'd recommend developing it some more around the question of decision-making -- what trips/occasions would justify funding? Presumably the chapter boards would make the decision? How would the process change if it's a board member who wants to go? Do both group boards have to sign off on a request or does one suffice? Is there some minimal threshold or cutoff for requests? (clarifying on the idea/proposal page itself would be better than replying here.) Asaf Bartov (WMF Grants) talk 17:03, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

I would expect the board would just need a quorum of support to get the people to move. I would agree though that we need this, since I am on the NYC board and I would like to help out with events in New England as well. I should add that Amtrak is $49 one-way as well. I do want to ask though, why we haven't considered this for DC as well? Mitch32^{(Protection is not a principle, but an expedient.)} 20:04, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

Mitchazenia I cannot speak for DC but I think they would want this also. When first asked about this they said that they wanted this to be an NYC thing and that they have their own travel policies. We wanted this to be a chapter partnership so did not want to talk about sending people from NYC to DC without DC people also being able to come to NYC under the same scheme. The NYC and NE groups have a lot fewer rules than DC so are more able to pilot things like this. Blue Rasberry (talk) 12:49, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

New York not in New England

I think the wording of this proposal presumes that New York is in New England, which it is not. OR drohowa, were you writing with that presumption? I am confused by some of this. Blue Rasberry (talk) 13:14, 25 July 2014 (UTC)